My name is Merigeta Mussie Menberu. I am a coordinator for the Mahbere Wengel ZeEthiopia. I have gone through the commentary on the Book of Hebrews written by our brother Adiamseged Weldemariam. I would like to share with you what I saw in this commentary.
The letter to the Hebrews is one small book but Adiamseged Weldemariam has made three volumes of commentary out of it. The first volume presents chapters 1 through 4 in a huge tome like this. The second volume covers chapters 5 through 8 while the third volume covers chapters 9 through twelve.
It is easy to see that writing such huge volumes on the Book of Hebrews takes a lot of time. Reading a book is no easy task and writing one is even more demanding. He has browsed so many reference books just to write the first volume of his commentary. He has gone into an in-depth study of each verse and provided a detailed analysis of individual words.
I have noticed one thing while going through this book. There are some words in the Book of Hebrews which appear simple and familiar. But he has explained them in detail within their context. For example when explaining the meaning of being “cleansed,” he does not stop at pointing out that it means being made clean but also shows what from, why, how, and by whom. In this way, he has given analyzed and explained all the keywords in the letter to the Hebrews. This is a very helpful book for anyone who reads it and is interested in learning the word of God.
I am astonished at the number of books he has put on the list of references. I cannot imagine how much time he spent sitting and working on them because unless you sit for long hours for many days, you cannot write so much. This commentary explains not only the Book of Hebrews; our brother has covered many other books.
The other thing that surprises me is the size of each volume. For example, volume one alone which explains chapters one through four is 565 pages long. That means he has gone into minute details on every thought and every word in the first four chapters of the letter. As a minister, I have a lot to learn from this. I have something to say about it later.
Volume two of this commentary is 445 pages long. Volume three is 563 pages long. This means brother Adiamseged wanted to go very deep into the truth presented in the letter to the Hebrews and he has done it. The other thing I have seen in this book and which I must mention is that he has used simple Amharic, avoiding complex theological terminologies. Most of the sentences are short and clear. The reader needs no help to understand them. That’s how simple the writing is. This is the kind of book anyone can read and understand without ever asking, “What is he saying?” That is what I have seen.
The other thing I have seen that brother Adiamseged has deeply studied the Book of Leviticus. The letter to the Hebrews contains lots of references to Leviticus and it is impossible to study Hebrews without Leviticus. Hebrews speaks a lot about the priesthood and sacrifices which are written in Leviticus. Adiamseged has made use of many verses from Leviticus to explain the mysteries in Hebrews. I am very pleased with that. Adiamseged has used the main source for Hebrews. If a minister does not know the source of truth on any topic, he will go with little knowledge on it; and that is dangerous. Adiamseged has deeply researched the Old Testament law, particularly the Book of Leviticus where detailed information is given regarding the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the ark of the testimony.
Another point I would like to comment on is the identity of the writer to the Hebrews. Our brother has used many references to deal with that issue. Many people have different opinions on who wrote Hebrews. Some say it is Paul while others think it is Apollos and still, others claim it is one of the disciples. The discussion on the authorship of the letter to the Hebrews has been presented widely in the opening section of volume one. The book also explains why the letter to the Hebrews was written and how it was written. As I said earlier this book offers a detailed explanations on everything in the letter and that is what I like about it.
The letter has been studied verse by verse. Every verse has been explained in detail. And it is amazingly simple. It is very helpful for people who don’t know much about the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are many people who are confused about these two parts of the bible. Our brother has done an excellent work of explaining the two and bringing clarity to their teachings. The Old Testament has referred it in every chapter from chapters one to ten. Adiamseged has clearly explained the mysteries of the temple, the priesthood, and the offerings mentioned in these chapters. I want to have my own copies of these volumes. I believe this is one of my favorite books. It is a book that explains salvation very clearly. It has wonderfully been related to our context. If the evangelical churches and even followers of the Orthodox Church read this book, I believe that their lives will be dramatically transformed.
I would have liked to comment on every part in this book but I am limited by time constraints. However, I must say that a minister who devotes so much time to write such wonderful books has a true divine calling. If he had no divine calling, he would not sacrifice so much time to sit down and study the word of God with so much diligence. Our brother has paid a great price to teach the truth and to present the Christian doctrine clearly. The Lord bless him abundantly.
I would like to share one point which has especially touched my heart while I was studying the book. Speaking of perseverance, he says that enduring to the end is the hallmark of true Christians. Remaining faithful to the end, he says, is the spiritual ID of true believers. I was wondering about how we could tell if a person is a true Christian. Is it by their words and speeches? The words people say may not always be reliable evidence of their true state. Many can deceive with their enticing words. Therefore our Lord said that we would know them by their fruits. But how can we see the fruit of people? If I spend an hour with a person, I may be able to see a glimpse of what they are like. But we cannot tell what a person is like by spending a week with them, much less an hour. So it takes a long time to see if one is steadfast in the faith. The Christian life comes to the conclusion of death. Therefore, when the writer to the Hebrews is speaking of steadfastness, he is talking about remaining faithful to the end. Therefore a person’s life cannot be defined by how they behave in one hour or one week. I agree with this thought. Therefore endurance is proven by the test of time.
True Christians are those who remain steadfast to the end being strengthened by the grace of the Lord. Those who are not faithful to the end do not really belong to Christ. People can be called to belong to Christ. However, unless they hold their confidence and faith firmly to the end, they cannot become the house or dwelling place of Christ. Temporary Christians are not true Christians. These thoughts have touched my heart. Who are temporary Christians? Those who do not remain faithful to the end are temporary Christians. They do not lay down their life for the truth. They do not hold fast their hope to the end. The writer explains the Hebrews chapter by pointing out that the criterion of true Christianity is perseverance.
I praise the Lord who has helped you through this great work. I will use the books as a reference for teaching. I will frequently use it in my classes and during my appearances on the media. I would like to say, May God bless this book.